Vegetable-cutter.



H. w. BROOMHELD.

VEGETABLE CUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4, $911- Patented July 31,1917.

UNITED STATES PATENT onnioa.

HORACE W. BROOMFIELD, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

VEGETABLE-CUTTER.

Application filed May 4, 1917.

table-Cutters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for cutting vegetables intopredetermined shapes, more particularly to devices for cutting po-'tatoes into small cubes or forms preliminary to producing what is lmownas French fried potatoes, and has for one of its objects to improve theconstruction and increase the efliciency and utility of devices of thischaracter.

Another object of the invention is to produce a device of this characterwhich may be cheaply constructed and wherein the parts are easilyseparable for renewal or re- Pairs In the drawlngs illustrative of thepreferred embodiment of the invent1on:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the 1m- -proved device;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a plan view in section on the line 33 of Fig.1;

Fig. 4. is a perspective view of a portion of the base member employedin the structure disclosed in Figs. 1, 2 and 3;

Fig. 5 represents a pair of the combined cutting and dividing bars inperspective;

Fig. 6 is a perspective detail illustrating a modification in theconstruction.

The improved device comprises a supporting base member 10 with which aplurality of block shaped plungers 11 are associated, the plungerspreferably tapering slightly toward their free ends and'likewisepreferably provided with transverse scores or channels 12 to formroughened faces to prevent the vegetables from slipping from side toside while being cut.

Arranged to coact with the plungers 11 are a plurality of blades orknives connected to a suitable support and so arranged that they formpockets or sockets to receive the plungers 11 when the supportingmembers of the blades are moved in one direction.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 31, 1917. Serial No. 166,448.

Rising from thesupporting base 10 are a plurality of vertical standards13 suitably connected at their lower ends in the support, the latterpreferably having supporting feet 1 1 corresponding to the standards 13.Preferably the members 1 1 will serve as binding nuts to engage thethreaded lower ends of the members 13, as shown at the left in Fig.

1, so that the base member 10 and the blocks 11 may be readily detached.

Any required number of the members 13 maybeemployed,but usually fourwill be used one at each corner as shown. The standard members 13 arearranged in pairs, and for the purpose of this description one pair ofthe standards will be referred to as the forward standards, and theother pair as the rearward standards. The rearward pair of the members13 are extended at the upper end above the lines of the forwardstandards and.

united, as shown at- 15, and a downwardly opening loop 16 formed in thetransverse portion 15 to provide means for suspending the improveddevice from anail or book when not in use. The upwardly extended portion15 of the rearward standards also serves as a holder with which one handof the operator engages to hold the device steady while the shell andits cutters are being actuated by the other hand. Slidably disposed uponthe membersl3 is a shell orcasing, preferably of sheet metal, andcomprising side walls 17 a rear wall 18 and a front wall represented asa wholeat 19, the latter having a relatively large central opening, as"shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The shell or casing is open at the upper andlower sides and the upper edges reinforced and supported by a wire band20 over which the 22 within the guide tubes 21 at the front of theshell. A suitable hand grip represented as a whole at 23, is connectedto the side wall 17 of the casing to enable the latter to be manuallyoperated.

slidably engage over the forward standard ,members 13. The members 13terminate at The interior area of the shellor casing corresponds to theplunger devices 11-, so that when the casing is disposed in-its-lowerposition the lower edge of the casing will bear flatly upon the upperface of the sup porting base 10 with the plungers 11 entirely within thelower portion of the easmg.

The combined cutting and divlding members are constructed as shown inFig. 5, and arranged at right angles to each other as shown in Fig. 8,one set 24 of which extend transversely of the casing in one direction,while the other set extend in the opposite direction. The members 24*are provided with downwardly opening slots 26, while the members 95 areprovided with upwardly opening slots 27, the slots being disposed atuniform distances apart to enable the members 24'25 to be interengaged,and divid'ing the interior of the casing into a plurality of uniformsized poclre ts, corresponding in number to the plimgers 1 1. At theirends the members :25 are bent at right angles, as shown at 28,- to bearagainst the inner side walls l7lof the casing, and the members 24 arelikewise bent at right angles at the ends, as" shown at 29' to engagethe inner faces of the rear wall 1'8 and the forward wall 19 below theopening therein, and secured in place by rivets or like fasteningdevices. One of the terminal portions 29 0f the members- 24 next to therear wall 18 and the front wall 1 9 of the casing are extended inparallel relation to the walls 18 19 as shown at 30, to coact with thelateral extensions 29 of the members 24:, while one of the terminalportions 2'9 of the members 25 next to the side walls 17 are extended,as shown at 31 By this means the sizes of the corner pockets are thesame as the remaining pockets.

The lower edges of the members 24 -25 are knife edged as represented at3233, to enable them to readily sever the vegetables. By thisarrangement it will be obvious that when a slice of potato or othervegetable is disposed upon the upper channeled faces of the plungermembers 11 and the casing together with its cutting members forceddownwardly, the slice of the vegetable will be divided into a pluralityof cubes corresponding in size to the spaces between the members 2425,the plungers operating to eject the severed cubes into the space withinthe casing above the members 24-25; Each operation of the casing and itscombined severing and cutting members disposes a set of the vegetablecubes within the casing, and they may be removed through the opening inthe front wall 1 9, as required.

The combined cutting and separating members may be constructed integral,as illustrated in Fig. 6, or formed as shown in Figs. 3 and- 5..

The foot members 14' being readily detachable the base member togetherwith the plungers 11 may be readily detached for renewal or repairs, andlikewiseto' enable the casing to be removed if required.

The base member together with the plungers 11 may be formed integral ofblock tin, or lil'reinexpensive material, or the members 1Q'1 1 be"constructed of hard wood. metal parts may he get vanized,v tinned orotherwise protected from corrosion.

Tli improved device may be constructed so of any required sine and ofanyrequire'd material, as it is not desired to limit the invention in'any manner in this respect. Having thus described the invention, what isclaimed as new is z; p

1'. In anapparatus of the class described,

a supporting base, forward guiding standards rising from the base,rearward guiding standards rising from the base and 0011-" e nected' attheir upper ends, said rearward standards and their connecting portionextending above the line of the forward standards, a shell having guidesleeves, movably engaging. the guiding standards and provided with anopening in its forward wall", a hand; grip; member carried by the shell,a plurality of ejector devices' supported upon said base, and aplurality of. combined cutters and dividers within the shell and bel ow'the line of the Opening thereof and coacting'wi th the eject'o'rs' whenthe shell and the cutters carried thereby is depressed. 4 s 2. In anapparatus of the class described, supporting base, forward-guidingstandards rising from the base, rearward guiding standards rising, from"the base and: connected at their upperend s', said' rearward standardsand their connecting portion extending above the line of the forwardstandards, a shell having guide sleeves movably engaging the guidingstandards and rovided with an opening in its fora ward wall, 'a' bindermember 'enga'mng the upper edge of the shell and extending over theopening thereof, a hand grip member carried by the shell, a phi ralityof ejector device's supported upon said base, and a plurality ofcombined cutters and dividers within the shell and below the line of theopening thereof and coacting with the ejectors.

3". In an apparatus of'theclass described, a" supporting base havingapertures at its corners, forward standards and rearward standardsengaging by their lower ends through said apertures, said rearwardstandards 'eritending above the line 'of the forward standards andconnected at their upper ends, combined holding devices and supportingfeet engaging the standards beloW the base, a shell having guide sleevesmovably engaging the guiding standards and provided with an opening inits forward Wall, a hand grip member carried by the shell, a pluralityof ejector devices supported upon said base, and a plurality of combinedcutters and dividers Within the 0 shell and below the line of theopening thereof and coacting With the ejeotors.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

HORACE W. BROOMFIELD. [L. 8-]

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0.

